Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Exposure to Knee Flexion Among Dairy Farmers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Nonnenmann MW
• Description:
  Background. Dairy farmers have reported a high prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and have been identified as being at an increased risk for knee osteoarthritis in several Scandinavian studies. No study has investigated the prevalence of MSS or exposure to risk factors for knee osteoarthritis among U.S. dairy farmers. Dairy farmers in the U.S. work more hours than Scandinavian dairy farmers, and work in a common type of milking facility (i.e. stanchion) has been identified with exposure to physical risk factors for knee osteoarthritis. Hence, dairy farmers in the U.S. may have a greater risk for MSS compared to their Scandinavian counterparts. Methods. Three studies were conducted. In study one and two, 813 dairy farmers were mailed several questionnaires assessing demographic and farm exposure information, and complaints of MSS. Dairy farming practices such as type of milking facility (stanchion or parlor) and hours milking were examined for associations with reported MSS of the upper extremity in the first study, and back and lower extremity in the second study. In the third study, knee flexion was recorded during both milking and feeding tasks for 23 dairy farmers who worked in stanchion or parlor milking facilities. Results. For study one and two, the response rate was 44%. Low back and knee MSS were most prevalent at 67% and 60% respectively. Milking >/=1456 hrs per year was significantly associated with an increased risk for elbow MSS and a decreased risk for low back MSS. In the third study, stanchion milking resulted in more knee flexion exposure compared to feeding in a stanchion, and milking or feeding in a parlor. Conclusions. The results of these studies suggest that low back and knee MSS are highly prevalent among U.S. dairy farmers. Milking and cleaning animal stalls were identified as risk factors for MSS. Additionally, working in a stanchion milking facility resulted in greater exposure to physical risk factors for knee MSS compared to working in a parlor milking facility. The results of this study could lead to future studies on interventions which may reduce MSS among dairy farmers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Dairy Products Farmers Livestock Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Animal Husbandry Workers Dairy Products Exposure Assessment Farm Workers Knee Disorders Livestock Industry MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders
• ISBN:
  9780542512728
• Publisher:
  ProQuest LLC.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Thesis
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057805
• Citation:
  Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC., 2005 Dec; :3202955
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa, Iowa City
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Musculoskeletal symptoms and exposure to knee flexion among dairy farmers
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7d8e791e0f71e6422a1ad69b80511e18c6ac41ae31eec5ad514852f30537a6f8ff6641451626cacfb7407e5491ab7e18499d1a34c53b68867b242f124af8120d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215030/cdc_215030_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.09 MB ]